Mikan's Future Career
by ginousuke
Summary: Once in a while, Narumisensei decided to really teach something to his students. But giving an assignment and asked them to learn the lesson by themselves is his favorite method. And Mikan was the one having the most trouble out of it.


_Narumi-sensei walked in and brought trouble to his class. But Mikan was the only one having the hardest time dealing with it. Who would be able to help her?_

**Disclaimer:** Clearly Gakuen Alice isn't mine. I wish…

**Author's note:** It's more serious than my previous. But I still try to put humour, though not much. My biggest obstacle is the title. Can't find a nice one, so ended up with something really simple. Hope you like it. Thanks for reading, and I'll be so happy if you leave your review :)

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**Mikan's Future Career**

It's an ordinary school day. Mikan arrived late, Hotaru hit her with her baka gun, Sumire acted grumpy, Ruka couldn't take his eyes off her, Natsume looked all boring and always had enough vocabularies to upset her, Yuu moved his feet here and there to calm the situation, and Kokoro shouted out loud what their thinking just for fun, with Kitsuneme acted as a supporter to give oil to the already huge fire. What about the others? Simply enjoyed the show. That, until Narumi Sensei walked in with an executive outfit.

"Narumi-sensei!" blurted Mikan. "Is that new? I love it!"

"Aw, you think so, Mikan-chan?" Narumi turned 360 degrees like a sixteen years old getting ready for his first prom. "What a lovely words to hear it from you!"

"More like a weirdo," muttered Natsume.

Hotaru looked alarmed. "You're up to something."

"No, I'm not!" a waving hand from Narumi gave an opposite effect. All his students became even more suspicious.

"I have an assignment for everyone!" a loud voice came from the far corner.

All heads searched for the voice, fixed to an innocent face belonged to Kokoro, and then back to Narumi. "You're up to something!" yelled all of them, except a couple of cool attitude guys.

"It's just an assignment!" Narumi tried to ease their worries. "Besides, it's usual for a teacher to give a task to his student, right?"

"Right," nodded Hotaru, and grumbled, "said someone who always ends up giving his job to other teacher while he wanders around."

"What kind of assignment is it, Narumi-sensei?" asked Mikan.

"Good question, Mikan-chan! I want you all to write a short essay about what you think of your possible future career!"

"…"

"Our what?" asked Sumire uncertain.

"Career! Your career!"

"…"

"Sensei! We're elementary students, remember? Ten years old?" said Mikan.

"Yeah, we're supposed to play around," said another student.

"Enjoying life," one more opinion.

"Making fun of each other."

"Having a fight."

"Flirting."

"Flying."

"Mind reading."

"Inventing stuffs."

"Burning things."

"Yes, I know that," Narumi smiled, without even felt that he had to correct any of what his pupil said about elementary kids' activities. "But it's not like I'm asking you to decide your future exactly right now. I only want you to think about it, to consider what kind of career that most likely, in your own opinion, fits you the best. And whatever you choose, it doesn't mean that it has to be _it_. You could change it years later if you find something else that you think better for you to be. No pressure. Now, there's nothing wrong with that, right?"

Though some heads seemed to nod, but doubted faces covered up the whole class.

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So, each kid from Class B had to make a short essay about their thought of their future career. It's an easy job for a few.

"I'm gonna be the President of a technology company. I'm gonna invent and then sold it to rich people as expensive as I could," Hotaru declared her future plan under a tree in the school yard; watched by Mikan, Yuu, Anna, Nonoko, Sumire, Kokoro, and Kitsuneme.

No surprise there. It's not just Hotaru, almost each of them also connected their possible career with their Alices. Almost. While her friends were having discussion, Mikan looked sad. What kind of job that suitable for nullification?

Hotaru stole a glance at her, and was ready to shoot her baka gun to cheer her best friend up, but someone took the act first.

"Are you okay, Sakura?" Ruka's sweet voice came behind her back. Holding his bunny with both of his arms, Ruka stared worry at Mikan. "You look… unhappy. What is it?"

"Oh no, Ruka-pyon! It's nothing," Mikan shook her head. "I was just… ne, Ruka-pyon, why are you all alone? Where's Natsume?"

There's a slight jealousy that was missed by Mikan's pure eyes, but clearly seen by Hotaru. "I was looking for him too, actually," answered Ruka. "But then I saw you guys here."

"Oh, I see. Well, why don't you sit with us?"

Ruka hesitated for a while, worry about Natsume. But thinking that most likely Natsume disappeared because he wanted to be alone, he then decided to accept Mikan's offer and sat between Mikan and Kokoro. Sumire, just realized that Ruka was there, got all excited and instantly cornered Ruka. "Noisy!", came from Kokoro's mouth, turned the discussion into a chasing. As others' attention fixed to it, Mikan decided that she needed to take a walk, privately. With a super gloomy face, Mikan excused herself to Hotaru and Ruka, refused to be accompanied.

Mikan walked… and walked… and spread her darkness aura to around her. Her eyes' corner suddenly caught a shadow of a boy lying under a tree. Mikan immediately recognized the figure.

"Natsume?" slowly she approached him. "What are you doing here?"

Natsume opened his eyes, glared at Mikan, and then closed it again. "I'm working the assignment. What else?"

"You're sleeping!"

"Exactly."

"Can I sit here?" asked Mikan, but did so before Natsume said anything; since she knew he would definitely tell her to get out of his space.

"Get lost, idiot!"

"I'm not idiot!" snapped Mikan. She found Natsume's empty assignment paper. "Natsume, haven't you thought about your future career?"

No answer.

"Hey, your alice is fire, right? You could be a fireman!"

"Fireman is supposed to extinguish the fire, not to ignite it," said Natsume, still closing his eyes.

"Oh, right!"

"That's why you're an idiot."

"Stop that!"

There's a silence after that. So silence that even Natsume found it a bit weird. He opened his eyes, stared at the sad gloomy dark Mikan. "What's up with you? Don't contaminate others with that pathetic face of yours. Get lost already!"

"I can't figure out what is suit for me," spoke Mikan with a very low voice. "Nullification! No prospect at all! And I'm not that bright in any subject!"

Natsume changed his sleeping position to sitting. "Good for you if you realize that."

"I don't want just waiting for a man to come and marry me, and then spending my whole life as a house wife."

"What makes you think anyone wants to marry you?"

"The point is… I don't want to just depend to others, even for the tiniest bit, and do nothing!" Mikan completely ignored Natsume. "Housewife is good! Bad housewife, bad mother, means bad children for the next generation. But I want to work to! Nothing is wrong with that, right?"

"Whatever."

Mikan sighed. "I understand now why Narumi-sensei asked us to think about it even though we're still 10 years old. It's good, so you have a goal that you're heading, though probably you'll miss it. But it's worth to think about, and to try! Narumi-sensei is amazing!"

"Hmph! Don't be overreacting just for a small matter like this. He's just an annoying teacher with annoying mind."

"No, he's not! He's great!" Mikan glared at Natsume. "We're lucky having a teacher like Narumi-sensei! Being a teacher isn't easy you know! Being a good one is way harder." Mikan's eyes wandered to the blue sky. "I wonder how it feels like being a teacher."

"Then why don't you try?"

Mikan stared surprise at Natsume. "What?"

"Why don't you become a teacher? Since you always run here and there looking all happy and play around like an idiot, you should just stay forever in school. Having the whole class to act friendly with a no brain like you when at first they totally against you coming to the class, that may be a good point in dealing with tough students. They'll still think you're stupid, though."

"A teacher? Me?" said Mikan, more to herself. That never even crossed on her mind. She kept looking what would fit her nullification alice. "Do you think I'm suit as a teacher?"

"Don't twist what people said to you. I said why you don't try it; never said anything with 'you', 'suit', and 'teacher' in one sentence."

But Mikan already fell to her imaginary world. "Me… as a teacher in here? Wow, now _that_ really never crossed on my mind."

"Who ever said about being a teacher here? A one star who is more as a burden than a fortune. What makes you think they'll be happy to let you handle their precious students?" Natsume's eyes wandered, "But then again, maybe there _is_ some benefit having a silly teacher like you. Telling your students to keep hoping and trying. I suppose a little motivation in a school like this probably will do some good for kids who can't stand living here. Though the effect isn't guaranteed if it comes from your kind."

Natsume sure talked a lot today. As usual, there's some harsh words in it, and Natsume didn't miss any chance to badmouthed Mikan. But, Mikan knows, and she could feel that there's something beyond all those rude attitude. Something that was sweet, comforting, and encouraging. Something that wrapped her with warm feelings.

"You know what, after you mention it…" slowly, words came out from her small lips, "that's another reason why I love going to school so much besides my friends. I always like teachers. Always. It's the same here. Even Jinno-sensei. He's mean, but I know he's actually kind. And though lot of unpleasant events had occurred, I never regretted my decision staying here. Instead, if I did otherwise, _then_ probably I would."

Slowly, Natsume's eyes met Mikan's. He found a smile there.

Mikan got up, and ran in a rush. About two meters later, she turned back and gently gazed at Natsume. She waved her hand, gave a big cute smile, and shouted, "Thank you, Natsume! Thanks for your help!"

"Who's helping you?"

But as Mikan faded from his sight and Natsume back to his sleep, there's a super slight smile in his face.

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"Narumi-sensei! Narumi-sensei! Narumi-sensei!" Mikan ran with all her might, tried to catch up to Narumi who was five meters ahead of her.

Narumi stopped his steps, and turned to Mikan. "What is it, Mikan-chan?"

"I know! I know! I know now what I want to do!"

"Eh? What do you mean, Mikan-chan?"

"I'm gonna be a teacher! A teacher!"

Narumi gasped. "A… teacher?"

"Yes! Just like you, Narumi-sensei!" Mikan was so enthusiastic. "I want to be a great teacher just like you!"

Narumi was unable to utter even a word.

"Do you think I could be like you, Narumi-sensei?" Mikan gazed at him with glimmering eyes. "Do you think it fits me?"

Narumi didn't say a word. He kept staring at Mikan with a slight open mouth, but still no words were spoken. A flash of memory embellished Narumi's head. A voice of a boy, a grown up man, and a teen girl.

_Sensei! Sensei! _

_What is it, Narumi? Why don't you come here and let me know?_

_Narumi, I know it's selfish. But I hope you'll stay in this school and protect the children. And make sure that no more students like us. I hope you can keep Sensei's dream alive in this school forever. _

Only a flash, then he's back to his present situation. Mikan had begun to wonder why her sensei looked... so shock hearing what she said. Narumi's reaction confused her. But then, slowly Narumi smiled at her.

"Yes, Mikan-chan. It fits you perfectly," it was a very gentle and sweet smile which painted on Narumi's face, absolutely unlike what Mikan usually witnessed. "You will definitely become a great teacher. I know you will."

**The end. **


End file.
